Ethan Walker believes Rovers are the perfect club to help progress his career after signing a two-year deal.

Rovers moved to snap up the forward following his release by neighbours Preston North End where he made two senior appearances.

The reputation of Rovers looks to have gone before them, their willingness to hand opportunities to young players key as Walker put pen-to-paper on a deal through to 2024.

He is a former team-mate of Tyrhys Dolan, the pair having scored against Rovers in the FA Youth Cup tie at Ewood Park in February 2020, with the hosts eventually making it through 4-2.

Walker left North End earlier this month having made two senior appearances for the club, as well as having a loan spell in League Two with Carlisle United.

But with his career at a crossroads after his Deepdale contract came to an end, Walker is delighted with the decision to join Rovers.

He said: “I’m over the moon really because I’ve been racking my brain over the last couple of weeks to make a decision on what is right for me and my career for the next couple of years.

“I feel like I’ve made the right decision and I’m excited to get going now.”

Walker is the third player in the last two years to have made the switch from North End, with Dolan the stand-out having made 77 appearances for the club since arriving.

Joe Nolan, whose time at Rovers came to an end earlier this month, also made that move, with Walker eager to now make his mark.

The progress of Dolan is something he will undoubtedly be looking to follow, as having initially been earmarked for a role in the Under-23s set-up, the 20-year-old has since gone on to represent England at Under-20s level and become a firm fixture in the squad.

“There’s a lot of people here that I know, people I’ve played with, and they’ve all said how great the club is for young players,” Walker added.

“I hope this is the place where I can really get my career started. I want to be happy, that’s when I get the best out of myself.

“I’m hopeful that first-team football is on the cards, whether that’s here or out on loan somewhere. I want to get my head down and make a good impression.

“It’s a fresh start and I'm aware that a lot of people wouldn’t know too much about me.

“I want to come in, have people talking about me and impressing them with what I can do.”

First up for Walker will be looking to impress in pre-season, and hoping to feature for the first-team in their friendly fixtures which start on July 9 at Accrington Stanley.

The Under-23s have games before that, which could offer him some minutes, with Walker raring to go at his new club.

He said: “I’ve been working hard in the off-season to make sure I’m fighting fit and ready to go.”

Take out a subscription...

Gain unlimited access to the Lancashire Telegraph website with a premium digital subscription with a one month FREE trial